Michał Kuciapski

A business process modeling notation extension for risk handling

During the years of prosperity, numerous organizations neglected numerous aspects of risk management. As systematic approach to handling identified risks is crucial to achieving success by the organization, modern business modeling standards and techniques are supposed to take risk-related features into account. The article is devoted to elaborating and exemplifying an extension aimed at risk handling for OMGs Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN), one of the most prospective standards for business process modeling. After an introduction, key risk management concepts are discussed. Section 3 discusses extensions introduced within BPMN meta-model, while section 4 exemplifies proposed concepts. The article is concluded with a summary.

Model for Project Management for Development and Implementation of E-Learning Courses

The aim of this article is to propose an integrated project management model for development and implementation of e-learning courses. The management model is a process solution map containing processes models integrated with project management categories of: risk, quality, control, costs, time, resources, workflow, document flow and communication with proper templates attached. The model is assigned for instructional designers and project managers to accelerate e-learning courses development. The starting point of the article is an analysis of the weaknesses in standard models for development of e-learning courses. For the thesis confirmation a case studies of four e-learning institutions with significant experience in e-learning field is being shown. The last, key part of the article describes the elaborated model. It contains presentation of process map with detailed processes models consisting of activities with integrated project management categories. The article is based on case studies of institutions with significant e-learning projects realization experience, like: Oncampus, Lubeck University of Applied Science; Distance Education Centre, Kaunas University of Technology; Center of Distance Education Development, Higher Banking School and PEUG, University of Gdansk. It also includes author’s six years experience gained by participation in e-learning projects, like Baltic Sea Virtual Campus and national POKL as courses’ author, instructional designer and it coordinator.

Students Acceptance of m-Learning for Higher Education – UTAUT Model Validation

This study investigated how students perceive the use of mobile technologies during studying process. Although mobile devices are ubiquitous among students, their awareness and readiness to use mobile technologies for studying is still not enough widespread and thus should still be explored especially in various cultural context. Therefore proper study was based on the Unified Theory of Technology Acceptance (UTAUT) to explain determinants impacting students’ intention to use mobile devices and software for studying. Structural equation modelling was used to analyze data collected from 370 students from two universities in Poland. Additionally study allowed to verify the correctness of UTAUT model in this context. The findings showed that the UTAUT model extended with no existing in it connections between Facilitating conditions (FC) and Behavioral intention to use (BI) explains students’ acceptance of m-learning for higher education reasonably well. As a result elaborated model provides a valuable solution with practical implications for increasing mobile technologies acceptance for studying process. More specifically Facilitating conditions occurred to have both impact on Behavioral intention to use and Effort expectancy. This highlights that in contrast to UTAUT model FC does not have to be exclusively associated with Use behavior. Moreover a connection between other UTAUT variables as Effort expectancy and Performance expectancy has been confirmed. Therefore research results showed that UTAUT model can be extended not only with new variables but also with new connections between existing ones.

Determinants of Academic E-Learning Systems Acceptance.

From the beginning of the e-learning technology era, many concerns have been raised regarding the use of e-learning systems in everyday academic didactics. Thus, a number of relevant studies have been conducted in the field of e-learning acceptance, mostly with the help of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). This study investigates factors which influence the acceptance of academic e-learning technologies with the use of the modified UTAUT model. The basic UTAUT model was extended by new factors under examination: system interactivity (SIN) and the area of scientific expertise (ASE). In the survey, a total number of 242 academic teachers were asked to fill out the UTAUT-formatted questionnaire to determine their intention to use e-learning. Therefore, the paper contributes to technology acceptance theory, applied in e-learning, by extending the UTAUT model with two new variables—ASE and SIN—and by verifying the model validating their usefulness. Study results are also valuable for practitioners, such as e-learning systems designers and developers. Factors such as performance expectancy, system interactivity, and area of scientific expertise were crucial for e-learning system development, to ensure that such an information system is widely accepted by end users such as faculty.

Methodology for Elaboration and Implementation of Effective Educational Simulations Systems – Towards the Priority View

Elaboration and implementation of effective educational simulations systems requires a great effort in the field of multimedia, collaboration and communications components development, and thus significant funding. For this purpose, a relevant questionnaire was developed to measure the priority of proposed 19 factors in teaching simulations. The survey was conducted among 172 participants of business simulation project - Case Simulator. The results of questionnaire, presented in the second part of the article indicate which factors are the most important, such as teamwork during simulation realization supported with suitable communication tools, and competition based on rankings. They also highlight which components are optional and do not have a significant impact on simulations realization efficiency. Such knowledge is crucial during decision-making, which elements should be included in simulation system in the context of limited time and financial resources. Research results served as a starting point to develop presented in the third part of the paper, methodology for elaborating effective simulations with inclusion of components priority view. The solution has a form of a Model for Effective Simulation Development and Implementation (MESDI) with highlighted components priority that act as principles for choosing them during simulation development.

Improving Efficiency of Managing Projects by Quality-Oriented Modelling of Processes

Decades of evolution in the field of information systems, business processes and universal modelling notations has resulted in the creation of modern modelling languages, such as UML or BPMN. Elaborated languages concentrate on processes as activity flows without taking into account important management categories like quality or risk. These aspects permit the research thesis that there is a room for further modelling improvement especially in the field of quality management. Thus the article’s main objective is to propose modelling approach for quality management of processes that supports better quality management in projects. It starts by introducing the current state of modelling notations. The introduction is a starting point for the presentation of elaborated quality-oriented notation for the project management processes discussed in the second section as a separate diagram type. A sample model is also included, based on the notation developed and showing its capabilities. The third part of the article presents verification of elaborated approach for quality-oriented modelling of processes. The article concludes with a summary.